The Rags are splitting? Really? Ain't they playing Leccy Piccy? Thats mad... they werent my thing at all but I wouldve seen them as a fairly up and coming band with a pretty decent following....

i suspect you'll see a couple of those "new breed" types... humanzi, blizzards, marshalls, immediate, director etc.. etc... split by the end of 2007... ...that's as much as i have to offer, i think oh... and damien rice - he's split, hasn't he?

The Marshalls, The Immediate and Director have been going, slowly gathering support for a few years - doubt they'll split any time soon

unless their next album is 'successful' i'd lay my life on the frames splitting up

don't 'worry' The Frames will never go away. Turn were exciting in the beginning. But the problem with so many bands like them who seem to purely seek commercial success is that they never come up with a killer tune. If you're 100% into the art of music, the creation and development of a personal form, then 'a hit' doesn't really matter, does it, in fact, if you're good, quality will follow, generally. But if you're about the projection of a popular, fashionable image, and are yearning for popular, fashional recognition - like most bands - and if you don't come up with a song that can make it on CD:UK, then, what's the point? Regarding the bands mentioned: Director have done it with 'Reconnect'. The Marshals have yet to really perform, and The Immediate are a much more artistically whole band than a lot of people give them credit for.

Future Kings of Spain are one I'm worried about. Album party 8mths ago, still no sign of its release & in the mean time rumours abound that the label (Red Flag) has gone bust.

From Turn's MySpace page: So! As some of you might have already guessed, at the end of this year Turn will call it a day. It is very sad for myself Ian and Gavin as this has been our whole life now for 7 or 8 years. It has not been an easy decision to make. There are many reasons for this decision both personal and professional. Everyone in the band is working on other music right now. I have started work on my own album and am working on Gavin's record also. Ian is working on a record with his sister. All in all there has been some great times, some magical moments and some awful lows. We have struggled through for years, deals and no deals. I think Ireland is a hard place for a rock band to survive. I personally have been working more and more on my own and really working towards the point i am at now which is making my own record. I am off to Germany at the end of the month to finish it. I hope some of you will follow its progress. I will start a new my space for now and keep a blog from the studio. I will also work on a new website etc. I am really excited about the music i am making and really scared, which is good, it has been a long time since i have been scared and excited You will also be able to keep up with Gavin's progress on the old my space. It is a very sad day. I believed in this band with my whole heart and this has been one of life's great let downs for me. The last record deal we signed was an awful mistake and relations with the company quickly became impossible and ultimately led us to this point. I think i have been ready to make my record for a long time and the last few years have been very difficult for me and the band. I will miss those boys and this band terribly. We will tour one last time to kick out the rock and roll and say goodbye

A lot of Irish bands should call it a day as soon as they begin. What is the primary purpose of forming a band. Is it the success or the joy of playing ? I suppose this varies from band to band. Is there really any point in forming a band if the musical output is not original enough to warrant its existence. Or is this just a case of enjoying playing a part in a band. Alot of irish bands just rehash old ideas. How many Irish bands have managed to escape from the "college friends" back gigs to gigs where the audience is made up of fans who genuinely came to the band because of the music.

harsh but also fair Kloot. There are VERY few Irish bands that I would class as original. Earlier this year, I completely lost faith in the Irish (well, Dublin mainly) music scene, as I believed a lot of the so called 'up and coming' bands to be musically redundant. But recently, I've invested some time in checking out more and more bands who names I know but material I don't, and was pleasantly surprised on a few occasions. My criteria for enjoying a new band is originality and energy, and if they are going to just stick to an existing genre or rock/indie narrative then they better do it bloody well.

heh heh

By the way, I think it's kinda bulls**t to blame a label for lack of success. Obviously if a label signs a band then they believe that they can do something with that band, if the band then delivers a crappy album then it's not the label's fault. For this to happen 2 or 3 times to a band then it's a good indication that the band is probably s**t.

look beneath the surface and there is great music in ireland, though... the charalambides gig i was at on thursday had two great supports, one more electronic drone stuff (papercut) and one more free folk stuff (agitated radio pilot)... then look at some of the independent record companies... slow loris put out some great experimental stuff and on a slightly larger scale, you've got the trust me i'm a thief and out on a limb labels... songwriters - martin finke is the greatest poet these lands have seen... what else... got an ep by richer than astronauts - that's great... skinny wolves / u:mack / ballroom of romance highlight loads of great local bands... also redneck manifesto - not many are better than these lads... ...no need to lose faith in irish music - just dig a little deeper...

Another to add to the list would be Pilotlight (formerly Polar). They've been in London for ages and saw their homecoming gig this weekend. Average doesn't describe it. I don't think all Irish bands lack originality. I think a lot of bands in Ireland are driven by singer/songwriters who really use the band as a vehicle for their songs. Instead of just being the songwriter in the band, that band member overshadows the band. Bands that are original include Lotus Lullaby and the Republic of Loose in my humble opinion.

Okay, mixed reports then because I was told by a number of people that The Rags had called it quits. They are a decent band so hopefully they stick it out and progress further.

The Rags are quality - hate to see them split.